Postal-card rack.



S. B. CLAY.

POSTAL GARD RACK.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.27, 1911.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

l I l S. B. CLAY.

POSTAL GARD RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1911.

1,016,915. Patented. Feb. 6, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H 1go j; i fi@ MNH w @nomic/ @wi/Immo SAMUEL IB. CLAY, OF STERLING, COLORADO.

POSTAL-CARD RACK.

d Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. e?, 1912.

Application led March 27, 1911. Serial No. 617,115.

To all 'whom t may concern. V

Beit known that I, SAMUEL B. CLAY, a

citizen .of the United States, residing at Sterling, in the county of Logan, State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Postal-Card Racks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to display devices, and is particularly adapted for displaying a plurality of post cards or announcements of any nature printed upon cards.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of a device of the character named, adapted to support in suspension a plurality of cards arranged in pairs back to back, and in providing means for successively reversing the position of the cards of each pair so as'to expose first one card of each pair and then the other to the vision of an observer.

A further object of the invention resides in providing means for effecting thereversal of the uppermost pair of cards and in so successively connecting the holding members ofthe various pairs of cards together that the reversal of the upper-most pair will automatically'eifect the reversal of the remainder.

With'the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the details 0f construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be` hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device showing a plurality of post cards supported in suspension thereby. Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the operating parts of the reversing mechanism in one extreme position. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 viewed oppositely from Fig. 2 and showing the operating parts of the reversing mechanism in the other extreme position. Fig. 4 a detail view showing the manner of connecting the. adjacent card holders of the device together.

the latter is pierced by said rod and consti,

tutes the pivotal connection between the plate and the rod. The port-ion 12 is provided wit-h recesses 13 and 14 for a purpose that will presently appear. Rotatably mountedon the other end of the rod 10 is a plate C which includes angularly disposed portions 15 and 16 the former of which extends parallel to the rod 10 while the latter is pierced by said rod and constitutes the pivotal connection between the plate and the rod. The portion 16 of the plate C 'is also provided with recesses 17 and 18 'corresponding to the recesses 13 and 14 respectively. The portions 11 and 15 of the plates B and C are connected by means of a plate 19, said port-ions 11 and 15 being disposed intermediate-ly of said plate 19. This plate 19 is adapted to have secured thereto the uppermost card holder of the device in a manner that will be hereinafter referred to.

Journaled between the arms of the plate A near the inner ends thereof is a shaft 20 which has its intermediate portion disposed between said arms and OEset to form a crank 21. This shaft is adapted to be rotated by means of a suitable connection with a pulley 22 which is xed on one end of said shaft, it being noted that the manner of rotating the shaft is not essential and any suitable means may be employed to effect this end. Pivotally connected to one en'd of the offsetportion of crank 21 of the shaft 20 is one end of a pitman 23. The other end of this pitman 23 is enlarged as at 21k and provided with a longitudinal slot 25 through which the rod 10 extends. Another pitman 26 has one end pivotally connected to the end of the oi'set portion 21 of the shaft 20 opposite to that to which the pitman 23 is connected and the other end of this pitma-n 26 is likewise enlarged as at 27 and provided witha longitudinal slot 28 through which the rod 10 also extends. By this construction it will be apparent that as the shaft 20 is rotated the pitmen 23 and 26 n ill be reeiprocated. the movement of the rod 10 in the slots 25 and 28 permitting the free reciprocation vof said pitmen under the influence of the rotation of the crank 21. Connecting the enlarged ends 24 and 27 'of the pitmen 23 and 26 respectively are rods 29 and 30 which during the reciprocation of the pitmen 23 and 26 enter the recesses 14 and 18 and 13 and 17 respectively of the plates B and C and effect an oscillation of said plates and likewise an oscillation of the plate 19 which connects the plates B and C.

During the movementy of the pitmen 23 and 26 toward the free ends of the arms of the plate A, the rod 30 enters the recesses 13 and 17 of the plates 4B and C and rocks the plates B and C and the plate'19 in one direction, while the movement of said pitmen 23 and 26 toward the inner end of the arms of the plate A causes the rod 29 to enter the recesses 14 and'18 of the plates B and C and rocks the plate 19 in the opposite direction. This rocking of the plate 19 as the result of the rotation of the shaft 20 constitutes the medium by which the card supporting holders of the device are successively reversed. These card holders are each formed by a plate 31 the opposite edges of which are slitted to form tongues 32. These tongues are bent successively in opposite directions so as to overlie opposite faces of the plate and serve to secure rods 33 on opposite sides of the plate at each end. The free end of the tongues 32 are spaced away from the adjacent face of the plate so as to constitute guide ways in which the desired cards may be slipped and thus detachably supported. The uppermost holder 31 is secured to the plate 19 by means of flexible straps 34 and 35 which are disposed respectively near the side edges of the pla-te 19 and the holder 31. These straps are so arranged as to connect opposite edges of the plate 19 and the holder 31 when said olate and holder are positioned with their corresponding faces at an acute angle or parallel to each other. The opposite edges of the plate 19 and the holder 31 which are not connected by the straps 34 and 35 are connected by means of an intermediate strap 36. From this construction it will ybe seen thatthe holder and plate when thus connected and disposed at an acute angle or parallel to each other m'ay be moved toward y or away from each other at either end. By

this construction it willbe apparent that when the plate 19 is oscillated through the rotation of the shaft 2O the uppermost holder 31 will be caused to successively reverse its position by reason of the connection between same and' the plate 19 previously described. As all the holders are connected to each other in the same manner as the holder 31 to the plate 19, it will be equally apparent that a reversal of the holder 31 will in turn cause the holders disposed therebeneath to successively reverse their positions. rlhis reversal of the holders will of course successively effect the presentation of cards carried by each holder to view.

While there has been shown only a single device for effecting the reversal of a plurality of cards supported in suspension it will of course be apparent that a number of these devices can be utilized together and driven through the medium of a single rotatable shaft connected to the several devices in an appropriate mechanical manner.

What is claimed is:

A device of the class described comprising a U-shaped frame, a rod connecting the outer ends of the arms of said frame, a plate, ears secured to said plate at opposite sides of the plate and rotatably mounted on said rod, each of said ears being provided with a pair of outwardly directed recesses, a shaft journaled between the arms of the frame at the inner ends thereof having an intermediate crank portion, 'pitmen pivotallyv connected to the crank portion at each end of the latter, said pitmen being provided respectively with longitudinal slots through which the rods connectingthe free ends of the arms of the frame extend, whereby the rotation of said shaft will effect the reciprocation of said pitmen, a pair of rods connecting said pit'men adapted to enter respective recesses in the ears secured to the plate during the Vreciprocation of the pitman to effect the os- SAMUEL B. CLAY.

Witnesses:

Errm D. MAJOR,

)DGAR BANKS. 

